Please Touch the Art: Art in the Public Space

July 16 to September 4, 2011Public art is any work of art that is created by an artist for a specific public space. It is about more than beautification; public art can stimulate, entertain, or transform a city’s image by heightening our awareness, pushing us to question our assumptions, or expressing our community values. Endlessly diverse and adaptable, public art can engage us from above our heads or under our feet. Direct contact between art and visitor in an open space, free of gallery walls, is public art’s greatest gift and this gift is best enjoyed when we shed our routine expectations of urban space.The Kelowna Art Gallery is pleased to have collaborated with the City of Kelowna’s Public Art Committee on Please Touch the Art: Art in the Public Space. This exhibition highlights works from The City of Kelowna’s public art collection, and illustrates the artistic process and inspiration behind Brower Hatcher’s sculpture Bear, which was created for Stuart Park. By mounting this exhibition it is hoped that we can raise awareness about the diversity and scope of this collection, and make more transparent the process by which the public art program delivers public art to the community.

Special Events

Artist’s Talk & Brown Bag Lunch: Brower Hatcher – Kelowna Art Gallery
Thursday, August 11, 2011, 12 – 1 pmBring your lunch to the Kelowna Art gallery for a special hour-long artist’s talk with internationally recognized sculptor Brower Hatcher. Hatcher is the creator of the much-loved Bear sculpture in Stuart Park. This will be a talk you don’t want to miss, as Hatcher will show images of past works of art, and discuss his unique artistic practice which combines computer-generated imagery with sculpture.This event is FREE and is open to all members and general public. For more information, please contact the Gallery at 250.762.2226.

Panel Discussion – Kelowna Art Gallery
Thursday, August 11, 2011, 7-9 pmStimulating, provocative, and informative discussion about public art and the role it plays in creating a vibrant community. Artist Brower Hatcher will be here to speak about his sculpture Bear, now installed in Stuart Park in downtown Kelowna. Additional artists, including Jock Hildebrandt and Lee Claremont, will speak from the perspective of artists and community members. The panel also includes Public Art Committee Chair, Amanda Parks, and City of Kelowna Cultural Services Manager, Sandra Kochan.

This event is FREE and is open to all members and general public. Refreshments and light snacks will be available; this event is licensed and ID may be required to purchase tickets for the bar. For more information, please contact the Gallery at 250.762.2226.

Activities

Public Art Walking Tours
July 26-September 1, 2011Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-2:30 pm
Drop-in, departing from the Kelowna Art Gallery
Cost: $8 per person (includes Gallery admission)
Enjoy a stroll through the city and view many pieces of the public art collection. These are drop-in tours, and the cost includes a tour of the Kelowna Art Gallery’s current exhibitions.

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Public Art Scavenger Hunt
July 16-September 4, 2011Tour the informative exhibition at the Gallery and then challenge your knowledge of the collection with the public art scavenger hunt. Complete all the questions while touring, and then return the form to the Kelowna Art Gallery. Participants’ names will be entered into a draw for a Kelowna Art Gallery Sacks in the City bag (made from a past exhibition banner), a Kelowna Art Gallery membership, and a Nexus catalogue featuring the Gallery’s permanent collection.

The Kelowna Art Gallery is now an official location where the Cultural Access Pass card can be validated for new Canadian Citizens.

The Kelowna Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the City of Kelowna, The Canada Council for the Arts, British Columbia Arts Council, the Province of British Columbia, School District #23, Regional District of Central Okanagan, Central Okanagan Foundation, our members, donors and sponsors.